Sent on behalf of Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute

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Our organization is committed to the highest standards of care delivery. One of the ways we demonstrate this commitment is through accreditation–a rigorous process that confirms we have met the best practice standards for acute care across Canada.  

Accreditation Canada solicits the experience of staff through the Worklife Pulse and the Canadian Patent Safety Tools. The surveys close April 30, 2021 and we have received just over half of the minimum number of responses required to-date.

Survey	Threshold	Current status
Worklife Pulse Tool	513	307
Canadian Patient Safety Culture Survey Tool	461	253

I am encouraging each of you to take a few moments to complete a survey using one of the links below. Your input will help to identify opportunities for improvement, which is essential to informing ongoing quality care for patients and a healthy work environment for our staff. The surveys each take under five minutes to complete.

Worklife pulse (all staff: clinical/ non clinical)

Link: https://www3.accreditation.ca/OrgInstrument

• Organization Code: THUBA
• Password: 2FF3577F

Canadian Patient Safety Culture Survey Tool (all staff providing direct clinical care)

Link: https://www3.accreditation.ca/OrgInstrument

• Organization Code: THUBA
• Password: 2C096CF8

For the chance to win a prize, after you have completed a survey, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HYL2XZD. Please contact Chitra Jacob at jacobc@tbh.net for any Accreditation questions.

Thank you in advance for your ongoing commitment to quality improvement.

Sent on behalf of Terri Gurney, Manager Cardiac Cath Lab, Visiting Clinics and Pacemaker Clinic

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Deb Spaulding is retiring in June, but her last day of work in the Pacemaker Clinic is April 27th.

Deb started working in the Pacemaker Clinic at Port Arthur General Hospital and played a vitol role in establishing the program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

For decades, Deb has been the go-to person for our Cardiologists and the region. Deb also established relationships with device clinics throughout Southern Ontario.

She has helped patients to cope with having a foreign device that their life depended on and has helped them and their families when they’ve made the decision to turn it off.

Deb you will be missed by your patients, your colleagues and your friends. We wish you fun in the next stage of your life, a lady of leisure at the lake.

The 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗘𝗗) provides safe, quality urgent care to patients from the comfort of their home.

The program offers same-day virtual assessments with emergency department physicians to patients who:

> live in Thunder Bay and the surrounding area;
> are older than 17 years of age;
> have non-life-threatening medical issues;
> don’t have a primary care provider or are unable to obtain timely access to them.

Same-day appointments will be made on a first come first served basis to those who meet the above criteria. Appointments are available Monday – Friday between 12:00 pm – 5:45 pm and take place through secure video chat.

For more information or to book an appointment visit www.tbrhsc.net/VirtualED

IMPORTANT: If you are experiencing a medical emergency or a mental health crisis, please call 911 or visit your nearest Emergency Department in person.

To register please use the link below (through Eventbrite):
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bls-renewal-course-may-tickets-151824636575

Upcoming Draw Dates:
Early Bird Draw: April 16, 2021
Grand Prize Draw: April 30, 2021

About the Thunder Bay 50/50:
The Thunder Bay 50/50 is a monthly 50/50 draw in support of the highest priority medical equipment needs at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Every ticket funds vital medical equipment right here at our Hospital, bringing better healthcare to your family & friends in Thunder Bay & Northwestern Ontario. We’ll be sharing updates soon on some of the incredible equipment YOU have helped fund. We can’t wait!

There is a new Grand Prize draw on the last Friday of every month!

Over $1.6M in prizes has been given away!

Note: Tickets do not carry over from monthly draw to monthly draw. Please purchase tickets each month to be included in each Grand Prize draw. Buy tickets and learn more at www.thunderbay5050.ca

Thank you for your support, and good luck in the draw!

– The team at the Thunder Bay 50/50

Meeting link: http://tbh.net/hgt
Contact: Samantha Morris, morrissa@tbh.net

Please join us in celebrating the upcoming retirement of Cathy Paroschy Harris.

Date: Friday March 26, 2021
Time: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm with formal presentation beginning at 2 pm
Location: https://tbh.net/cphretirement/
Meeting number: 129 779 7949
Meeting password: CPH2021

If you would like to sign the Virtual Guestbook, contribute to a gift, or present Cathy with a gift, please contact Ann-Marie Cline at clinea@tbh.net for more information before March 26th.

Sent on behalf of Dr. Peter Voros, Incident Manager

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An outbreak of COVID-19 is declared on our 1A Medicine unit. The health and safety of all staff, professional staff, patients and the community is our utmost priority.

The decision to declare or end an outbreak is made in collaboration with Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU). The Ontario Ministry of Health defines a COVID-19 outbreak in a public hospital as: Two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases (patients and/or staff) within a specified area (unit/floor/service) within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in the hospital.

The low threshold for declaring an outbreak ensures that outbreak management measures, including increased infection prevention and control practices, can be put in place swiftly to contain any further spread. In collaboration with TBDHU, a thorough assessment of the situation is underway, including contact tracing and enhanced surveillance and testing activities. Anyone who is considered to be at risk will be notified.

As a precautionary measure, there will be no admissions to 1A Medicine until further notice. For the safety of all, Essential Care Partners will not be permitted in 1A Medicine or 1A Oncology until the outbreak is resolved. Additional measures may be taken as needed to manage the situation.

This outbreak, combined with high numbers of admitted patients who are COVID-19 positive and the heightened need for critical care services, has prompted our Incident Management Team to advance our hospital’s internal COVID-19 pandemic response from Red (Control) to Grey (Lockdown). This involves additional strategies to make both space and staff available to respond to increasing critical care needs. Medical and administrative leaders are investigating options regarding patient transfers, reduced elective procedures and alternative spaces to provide care within the hospital. Information will be provided as decisions are confirmed. 

Sincere appreciation is extended to leadership, staff and professional staff for outstanding support and professionalism at this challenging time. Our collective empathy and ongoing diligence to infection control protocols will see us through this. If you need additional support, please access resources available at https://comms.tbrhsc.net/covid-19-information/staff-wellness-resources/.

All Hospital COVID-19 updates are also available on the iNtranet at https://comms.tbrhsc.net/covid-19-information/